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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — a group
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. prune — to trim
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. can — a tin
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. court — of law
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. can — to be able to
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com